Vortex gun



Patented Mar. 20, 1951 UNITED (STAT VORTEX GUN- John M. Novak, San Francisco, Calif.

Application October 8, 1947, Serial No. 778,595

1 Claim. 1

This inventionrelates to a vortex gun.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means whereb a vortex ring may be used for the purpose of discharging gases, vapors, suspended dust, poisons, insecticides and the like a considerable distance and with great speed.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device which is economical to manufacture and one which may be used with th ordinary firearm such as a revolver, rifle, shotgun or machine gun, the particular type of explosive force being immaterial to the operation of the gun; however, if a machine gun is used it will provide rapid repeat operation.

A still further object is to provide means wherevby the vortex chamber may be charged with the insecticide or other material which is to be projected in several difierent ways.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section through the vortex gun. I

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a blank cartridge having an explosive charge and a projective charge, and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing my vortex gun attached to a revolver and provided with means for discharging gases or other material into the vortex gun proper.

It is well known that if an enclosed chamber has a hole provided in one'face thereof and if the chamber is suddenly compressed, the pressure built up within the chamber will attempt to escape through the hole, and in so doing will set up air currents so as to create what is known as a vortex ring.

The characteristics of these vortex rings are that they travel in a straight line from the point of discharge until their energy has been dissipated; also, that they have considerable force and can be used for various purposes. Heretoiore, they have been used mostly for advertising purposes.

Applicant has devised a means for using a vortex gun in combination with a firearm of some character, which firearm will create within the chamber of the vortex gun an explosive force which in turn will issue from the chamber in the form of a vortex ring of great power and velocity so that the ring can be used for the purpose of projecting various materials such powder or gases.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention the numeral 5 designates an apertured front wall, the aperture being shown at 6, and the numeral 1 designates a rear wall which may be threaded as shown at 8 so as to receive the end of a gun barrel 9.

Extending between the front wall 5 and the back wall 1 is a tubular member II, which completes the chamber A.

Within the chamber I position a solid disc-like dissipator I2, which is supported by rods and l4. 7

In Figure 3 I have shown a pipe I 6 in which is mounted a valve II, the pipe communicating with the interior of the chamber A so that gases or other materials may be fed into the chamber as desired.

In Figure 2 the cartridge B has an explosive charge I8 as well as a charge IQ of whatever commodity is to be expelled from the vortex chamber. It is, of course, understood that instead of using a firearm, a firecracker may be inserted through the opening 8, and a the firecracker explodes it will temporarily seal the opening 8, thus causing the explosive force therefrom to be expelled through the opening 6, the body of the firecracker resting in the opening 8.

It will thus be seen that by firing a blank cartridge, as shown in Figure 2, from a firearm, as shown in Figure 3, into the chamber A, the explosive force set up within the chamber will cause the force to attempt an escape through the opening 6, and in so doing a vortex ring will be created.

If the chamber A has been previously charged with an insecticide, for example, the vortex ring will carry this insecticide a considerable distance and dissipate the same over an area at which the vortex gun has been aimed.

If the chamber has not previously been charged with some kind of material, then it will be necessary to fire the gun twice before any amount of material will be discharged with the ring.

It will thus be seen that I have devised a vortex gun which will perform all of the objects above set forth.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a. preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted as finely divided to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: A vortex gun comprising a, pair of rigid, spaced plates, one of said plates having a circular orifice through which a vortex ring issues, a tubular member extending between said plates and having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of said orifice, and with said plates forming a chamber, means for discharging an explosive into said chamber at a point substantiall opposite said circular orifice and an imperforate disc posia tioned between said orifice and said discharge means, said disc being of less diameter than the inner diameter of the tubular member andqqn: l5

centric therewith, and valved means for admitting material to be expelled into said chamber for expulsion therefrom by the vortex ring.

JOHN M. NOVAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 825,010 Snow July 3, 1906 1,527,491 Rose Feb. 24, 1925 1,344,034 Duber Feb. 9, 1932 

